Many people have the experience of coming back from a museum and suddenly realizing that they want to learn oil painting. They see the great classics and dream about one day being able to do just such a work. Although this is a noble dream, don't run out and by oil paints! Acrylic paintings are a much easier place to start. Acrylic painting method is easier, because the paints are easier to work with. They dry more quickly, they are less fussy, and they blend more easily. Don't get me wrong – oil is still king. For a master painter, oil paintings are the end all and be all in general. Nevertheless, acrylic painting can hold its own. Some of the most beautiful works I have ever seen were done in acrylics.
One of the biggest mistake that people make with acrylic paints is to think that they can just do it on their own. After all, this is true with water color painting, so why not with acrylics? In reality, although you can learn acrylic painting independently, I recommend against it. At the very least, you should use an instructional how to paint video.
You see, acrylic paint techniques are much more complicated than anything you have probably done before. Not only do you have to worry about mixing colors, but you also have to get the paint to the right consistency. Acrylic painting supplies are expensive, so unless you wants to buy the cheap, low quality stuff, you should try to conserve them as well as you can. That is why a good art class is almost a necessity.
Once you become a little bit familiar with acrylic paints, you will realize how many things you can do with them that you could never do before. Acrylic painting not only allows you to give additional depth to your picture, but it opens whole new worlds of texture. The style of strokes you use, the color composition you employ, and all the rest of it go in to making your acrylic painting what it is.
To be able to do this stuff right, however, you have to study. Many people don't realize it, but most of art is in the planning. By the time you get to the execution, you have already sketched out the layout for your whole picture. In your acrylic paint class, not only will you learn how to work with brushes, but you will also learn how to visualize a picture before starting it. For an artist, this is the most important skill.
|
